Burping the Cat

Monica knows it's warm where Felix sleeps.

I've never been much of a napper, and that hasn't changed now that Felix is here. There's just no way I can drop what I'm doing and fall asleep in the middle of the day. "Sleep when the baby sleeps" is not realistic advice. The only exception was one of our first days out of the hospital when I drank a double latte and immediately fell asleep in a noisy, bright living room while my parents visited.

So I've been powering through the days with coffee, fresh air and sunshine, (okay and Judge Judy) and waking with Felix every two hours, all night, every night. I can handle most of the feedings and diaper changes without fully waking up now, so that helps. But sometimes I can't remember if I just fed him (was it 4:02am today or was that last night?) So I look at the number of used vs. clean bottles on my nightstand to figure it out.

Often during those night feedings, my arms are way too tired to hold him up. So we lay on the bed while I feed him, and to burp him, I lay him on my chest and pat his back. We both nod off frequently during these activities, waking when I drop a bottle or he finally burps. Then I put him back in his rock-n-play sleeper for another 90 minutes.

A few nights ago I nodded off and woke up during a burping session. Sensing a warm, cuddly, approximately 10-pound being on my chest, naturally I reached up and started patting its back to continue burping. You can see where this is going. My poor kitty Monica had curled up to sleep on my chest and it turns out she did not need to be burped. She bolted off my chest and hid in the corner of the room while I got my bearings about me: feeding done, burping done, Felix sleeping in his bed. Sorry kitty!